A compact six-game Thursday slate featuring a young arms showdown between Max Meyer and Rhett Lowder in Miami, Luis Severino returning to Yankee Stadium with the Athletics, Jack Flaherty and Mick Abel in a Tigers-Twins pitching duel, and Eduardo Rodriguez facing the Mets' Nolan McLean in Queens.
Cincinnati brings an 8-4 start into Miami, while the Marlins sit at 7-5 and get a chance to answer after seeing the Reds earlier in the series. Miami lists Max Meyer against Cincinnati right-hander Rhett Lowder, which gives this finale a clean young-power-arms feel and puts a lot of pressure on first-pitch command in a park that usually rewards pitchers who stay ahead.
The Yankees have opened 8-3 and already look comfortable playing with an early lead, while the Athletics arrive at 4-7 trying to keep the game from turning into a Yankee Stadium momentum night. Luis Severino is listed for the A's against Will Warren for New York, so this one starts with a familiar name on one side and a chance for the Yankees to keep leaning on a club that has scored well enough to give its starters room.
Minnesota goes into the game at 6-6 with a chance to keep building after a strong first week at home, while Detroit is trying to stop the slide at 4-8. The listed matchup is Jack Flaherty against Mick Abel, and the big question is whether Detroit can get cleaner innings early after the Twins have already shown in this series that they can force stressful counts and turn one crooked inning into the game.
Arizona and New York both enter this matchup above .500, with the Diamondbacks at 6-6 and the Mets at 7-5, which gives this game a little more edge than a normal early-April meeting. The Mets list Nolan McLean opposite Eduardo Rodriguez, and that pairing makes this one interesting because Arizona gets a veteran left-hander while New York asks a young arm to handle a lineup that can lengthen at-bats and make a starter work through traffic.
Kansas City opens a four-game set at home with Seth Lugo lined up against Anthony Kay, and on paper that is one of the cleaner starting pitching advantages on the MLB board. The Royals are 5-7 and still looking for a steadier rhythm, but this is the kind of matchup where Lugo's strike throwing can let Kansas City dictate pace if the White Sox do not cash in on the few innings when traffic is available.
Both clubs come in at 6-6, but the feel is different because Colorado has been better than expected in the first ten days while San Diego gets to bring this game back to Petco Park. The Padres list Randy Vasquez, and the Rockies side had not yet named a starter, so the preview here begins with San Diego holding the clearer setup and Colorado needing enough length from a yet-to-be-determined arm to keep the game from becoming a bullpen tax night.